Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-05-27
Recon, son,horn EnIroAc

From the Boston journal
The recent split in the Episcopal conven
ton of South Carolina over the question Of
the admission Of colorcd ministers as dele
gates has been followed by voluminous
correspondence in the newspapers, some
features Of which are at once instructive
and amusing. One clerical writer, for ex
ample, reverts to the good old days before
"the decree Of the fanatic and Congress
had made the negro free. He dwells with
touching emphasis upon the solicitude which
he alleges was felt "by many Christian
owners" for the religious instruction and
moral training of their slaves. In those
DAYS, these moral instructions, the writer
naively suggests, were enforced by the
authority of the law of the MASTER" which
is perhaps gentle reference TO the persua-
sive efforts of the overseer. He thinks
that there were better and more consistent
Christians then than now among the ne
groes and he remarks gravely that people
then did not think that because a man was
a Christian, therefore he had all the rights
which appertain to the whole range of hui
man life and society He suggests TO the
colored minister of today that ''if he is a
true, humble follower of the Divine Master
he will consider it honor enough to have
the Office of leading his fellow countrymen
| in the way of eternal life. He will not
want TO sit in the high places of the syna-
gogue or to pass laws for his white breth-
rem" If there could be any greater OF
more humorous absurdity than that afford
ed by this white rector, as he breaches hu
miity to his colored brethren, while he him
self displays the arrogance and supercilious
ness of the days "befo' the wahn we do moi
know what it may be.
The Aiken Is. CO. Recorder speaks il
these exalted terms of the conduct of tn,
seeding delegates;
"On Friday afternoon the delegates o
twenty parishes, representing nearly al
the strongest churches in the diocese, beinl
impressed with idea that they were Prot
estant white men and not serfs of the CA
Of Russia, or the dumb driven slaves o
priestly authority, withdrew in body iron
the convention Thirteen parishes remain
ed. representing, with few exceptions
small missionary establishments or poke
boroughs of the Episcopal authority whic
are dependent in great measure upon tn
taxes paid to the diocesan fund for thei
support. This Rump Parliament remaine
in session under the pretence of being a
organized body until Saturday afternoon
electing in the meantime the standing con
mittee of the diocese and actually under
taking to pass an amendment to the col
stitution In conclusion we would say thu
, the withdrawing delegates realize with il
expressible sadness the gravity of the situ
alton in this diocese. For twelve yeal
the prosperity of the diocese has bee
blighted by the presence of an oversha,
: owing trouble which has been aggravate
into unnecessary intensity by the tyrann
cal assumptions of the Episcopal authorit!
, What is to be the final outcome can onl
be determined by the amount of Christia
; forbearance exercised by both parties
l the controversy
. From the deep impressiveness of tn
language one would hardly imagine that Il
4 occasion of this blight and this "ove
, shadowing trouble which the secedr
u delegates regard with indispensable sa
. ness, was the fact that the bishop decid,
that colored clergymen had as good a rig
in the convention as white ones. Tn,
= we're regularly ordained, and doctrinal
sound they were engaged in useful wor
= and there was nothing against their chara
ters or their intelligence but their Gre
, tor had given them black skin instead
white one, and that was esteemed reas'
= enough for denying them the rights al
It courtesies of Christian brethren. 1t is
4 curious kind of Christianity which voic
itself in the extracts which we have quote